Campaigners are calling for the release of the 18th century skeleton of ‘Irish Giant’ Charles Byrne

CAMPAIGNERS have renewed calls for the release of the remains of an 18th century Irish “giant” and return the skeleton to Ireland for burial. The skeleton of Charles Byrne, who was born in Derry in 1761, is on display in London’s Hunterian Museum at the headquarters for the Royal College of Surgeons. Suffering from acromegalic gigantism, a condition which caused him to grow to 7ft 7in tall, Byrne set off from Britain in his late teens and became somewhat of a celebrity as a freak show “curiosity” in London society – however this life of fame led to him drinking excessively. Before dying of tuberculosis, aged just 22, he requested for his friends to bury him at sea, fearing that his body would be stolen for medical research. However a surgeon, John Hunter, acquired Byrne’s body by bribing an undertaker to switch the corpse for dead weight and bring him Byrne’s body. Hunter then put Byrne’s skeleton on display where it remains to this day. Now that the museum is closing for refurbishment, and is not due to reopen until 2021, campaigners say the time is right to send back the remains to Ireland. Dr Thomaz Muinzer, at the University of Stirling’s School of Law, who’s research sparked much of the present campaign, wants the museum “to do the decent thing and reconsider the exhibit.” He said: “I think there’s a perverse irony that his remains are on show in a museum dedicated to the person who is responsible for… [Read full story]